Uru Useage Grows

A company announcement from GB Group this week says that there has been a major increase in the volume of identity checks initiated by online gaming site operators.

The company is an electronic age and identity verification supplier, using the increasingly popular URU-British Telecom database and includes Betfair and PartyGaming in its client portfolio.

MD Rod Laurence is quoted as opining that the rising application of his system indicates that gaming operators are moving away from manual ID checks to the faster, cost effective and more comprehensive electronic ID systems such as those offered by his company.

URU works by cross-checking personal information provided by an individual at the point of acquisition against a comprehensive range of up-to-date UK and international population data sources to confirm the subject's identity.

Laurence revealed that the major betting exchange group Betfair had been spending in excess of GBP 1 million annually on verification, but that this had been "reduced significantly" by migrating to the URU online system. He did not say what current costs were.

GB recently inked deals with VIP Management Services, which manages nine major egaming brands and is part of the Leisure and Gaming group that acquired Stanley Leisure's online gambling interests last month.